West Wales ( cy, Gorllewin Cymru) is not clearly defined as a particular region of Wales. Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire,

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Ce ...

and

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known ...

, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of '' Deheubarth'' and was called "

South West Wales South West Wales is one of the regions of Wales consisting of the unitary authorities of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. This definition is used by a number of government agencies and private organisations including ...

" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS).ONS NUTS guide to Wales statistical groupings
/ref> Other definitions may include Swansea and Neath Port Talbot but exclude Ceredigion, although this definition may also be described as

. The "West Wales and the Valleys" NUTS area includes more westerly parts of North Wales. The preserved county of

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use ...

covers what is generally considered to be West Wales; between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was a county, with a county council and six district councils.

Historic use

Historically, the term West Wales was applied to the Kingdom of Cornwall during the

Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain is the process which changed the language and culture of most of what became England from Romano-British to Germanic peoples, Germanic. The Germanic-speakers in Britain, themselves of diverse origins, ev ...

and the period of the Heptarchy. The Old English word '' Wealas'', a Germanic term for inhabitants of the Western Roman Empire, which the Anglo-Saxons came to apply especially to the

Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mod ...

, gave its name to Wales and is also the origin of the second syllable in the name Cornwall.

Railways

Mainlines

* West Wales Line *

Heart of Wales Line The Heart of Wales line ( cy, Llinell Calon Cymru) is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Llang ...

Cambrian Line The Cambrian Line ( cy, Llinell y Cambrian), also known as the Cambrian Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell y Cambrian) and Cambrian Coast Line ( cy, Llinell Arfordir y Cambrian), is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury, England, westwards to Abe ...

Heritage lines

Gwili Railway The Gwili Railway ( Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Gwili'') is a Welsh heritage railway, that operates a preserved standard gauge railway line from the site of Abergwili Junction (near Carmarthen) in southwest Wales along a section of the former Car ...

Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway :''This article describes the current heritage railway. For the historical railway see Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway.'' The Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway is a heritage railway which aims to re-instate as much as possible of the former Lla ...

Teifi Valley Railway The Teifi Valley Railway (Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Dyffryn Teifi'') is a narrow gauge railway occupying a section of the former standard gauge Great Western Railway line between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn. After the closure of the former line b ...

* Vale of Rheidol Railway

Notes

{{reflist Regions of Wales Administrative divisions of Wales NUTS 2 statistical regions of the United Kingdom

Historic use

Railways

Mainlines

Heritage lines

See also

Notes